The present field is related to sealing of an organic electronics panel which is composed of an organic electroluminescence element or an organic photoelectric conversion element. In an organic electroluminescence element, moisture sorption of a material composing a light emitting layer, or moisture sorption of a light emitting unit will spoil the luminescent brightness remarkably. Moreover, in an organic photoelectric conversion element, moisture sorption of a material, composing a power generation layer, or moisture sorption of a power generation will spoil power generation performance. Therefore, it is necessary to lower the humidity inside an organic electroluminescence element organic EL element) or an organic photoelectric conversion element, and there has been provided a means for carrying out cutoff protection of an inside of the element from an outside air. For example, there has been disclosed a method of casing type in which a glass cap or a metal can is used with an adhesive agent for sealing to form a hermetic space and a desiccant is installed therein. Moreover, in recent years, there has been disclosed a method of close adhesion type in which after forming an organic light, emitting layer on a plastic or glass substrate, a high barrier film or a metal foil which is flexible and thin is adhered on the surface of the element using an adhesive agent to seal. Thus, an organic photoelectric conversion element excellent in moisture resistance, thinness and light emission has been proposed.
Since gas permeability is low and cheap as a sealing component, metals (a plate or a foil) are applied in many cases. However, since metal has conductivity, an electric short circuit will occur by contact with an organic EL element or a taking-out electrode. Thereby, it will produce a problem such as poor luminescence and insufficient uniform luminescent characteristic. There have been proposed various methods. Moreover, when an organic photoelectric conversion element was used similarly, it was revealed that it is easy to induce a leakage defect at the time of generation of electric power.
Moreover, a method of improvement in handling in a sealing process or prevention of wrinkles has been proposed by appropriately using hard and elastic aluminium foil for different tasks.
To the occurrence of electric short-circuit when using a high conductive metal component is used for a sealing component, there has been proposed a method to secure a clearance (a contact limit or a gap) by mixing a spacer of a particle form in an adhesive layer between a substrate and a sealing component.
However, since the adhesive layer becomes thick by the thickness of the spacer used in this method, water and the oxygen gas in the air will permeate easily into the sealing, and sealing performance will be decreased. Moreover, there is also cost increase by the spacer.
Although there has been proposed a method to arrange a resin layer on the surface of the metal component (one side or both sides) to perform an insulation treatment to it, for dealing with this problem (for example, refer to Patent documents 1 and 2), there may occur the case in which short-circuit is induced by contact with the edge portion of the sealing component. A current status is not having resulted yet in a fundamental remedy. Moreover, it became clear that there will occur the phenomenon in which the sealing substrate will be warped to the electrode side by cure shrinkage of the adhesive layer and the edge portion of the adhesive layer will contact to the electrode short-circuit).
Moreover, to install an insulating layer at the edge portion may be difficult from the viewpoint of process, or it may result in increase of cost. Further, when an insulation process is performed by using a resin layer, there may be also gas trespass (side leak) from the edge portion of the resin layer, and sealing performance will be decreased. Furthermore, cloudiness may occur at the adhesion portion and peeling of an interface may occur, and quality degradation may be produced. It is feared that an edge portion of the sealing component may produce exposed short-circuit.
In addition, when a metallic foil is used for a sealing component (substrate), there are also problems of a pinhole and wrinkles during handling and various studies have been made. For example, improvement in handling and wrinkles prevention are investigated by hard aluminium foil (for example, Patent document 3). However, a fundamental remedy has not been achieved yet.